The cat is known as Abby although it can be referred to as the ‘self-referral cat’ Surprisingly arrived at the doorstep of The Sheffield Cats Shelter in April all drenched in the rain and heavily pregnant. After 11 weeks in a shelter, continuous care from the shelter, and even the program ITV Calendar, Abby has been adopted.
The Meow-velours Abby Arrivals
The Sheffield Cats Shelter was founded in 1897 and over the years it has assisted thousands of cats, a group of squirrels, a lion, and a monkey at that. This was the first time though, that the cat decided to self-refer its home to this sanctuary.
One day, Abby was brought to them as a stray cat, she was pregnant, had no microchip, and was brought in soaking wet from the rain.
After a medical check-up, she was put in one of the friendly cat rooms and the Cat Welfare Team in charge of that shelter took her. Only six days later, the queen, Abby, produced five kittens. Unfortunately, one kitten did not make it and Abby became rather sick shortly after giving birth. This did not keep the staff unmotivated and Abby’s recovery was fast with the help of Cat Welfare Manager Becki Hollingworth who administered ‘regular feeds around the clock at all hours of the day and night for a week’ and soon Abby was fit again.
Abby was then taken to the room with her kittens and took care of them when she became a mum to them. The staff is glad she came to them for help and they could assist her in the right place.
As posted on the 3rd of July on The Sheffield Cats Shelter, everybody is joyful for the good news, Abby has a home. At the staff: ‘overjoyed’, adding that she deserved ‘happily ever after’; and that ‘she will not be easily forgotten’. Abby will also not omit to mention the quality of the services offered by the shelter while she was in the shelter as well as now when she is expecting kittens for shelter. They have 36 cats and four of them are her kittens and they are all listed as cats for adoption.
It is however attributed to the fact that nursing these kitties to dedicated around-the-clock care makes the exercise costly. ‘Without help and sponsorship from cat lovers in Sheffield and other places we can’t do it, thus any contribution would be much appreciated.’ ’ says Becki. The shelter is also happy to provide a lot of beds for them and also cat tree treats and many more fun toys to keep them engaged and content.
More Paw-some Work
It should be known that Abby is the only cat of almost 300 that were sheltered by The Sheffield Cats Shelter this year, not to mention those who received consultations and help via phone calls. Dougal has another story, now they have about forty cats which they are at the moment taking care of.
In the second year of his life, Dougal was found with his front leg in the collar, and having a big, deep-smelling armpit wound that was infected. He had undergone a very expensive surgery at the animals’ expense then they struggled to let him survive in the shelter for four months just to look for his previous owner. The search was carried out but in vain, however, Dougal found a caring family once he was done with recovery. The daughter now brought a program of fundraising for the shelter in her school.
While The Sheffield Cats Shelter provides such great care, they do want to help the cats stay in homes where they found them whenever it is possible. Sometimes they offer an alternative instead of surrender and this has proved popular and is something they want to keep doing, which is better for the cats, the owners who have had to make the painful decision that they no longer can care for their kitty and the plethora of overburdened cat shelters.
The charity has only recently gained the Cat Friendly Homing Centre in the last few months having passed the Cat Care Homing Centre 20-week training conducted by the International Cat Care to ensure the highest amount of care given to the cats. Any cats that arrive at the shelter are neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped, and many of the staff members, are now able to implant microchips themselves, which is helpful to families who are looking to adopt a cat from the shelter.